Kiwi plant named ‘AC 497 076’

ABSTRACT

A new female kiwi plant named ‘AC 497 076’, distinguished by its oblong fruit with brown hairless skin and dark yellow flesh. The fruit is very sweet with low acidity, and matures relatively early.

Genus and species: Actinidia chinensis Planch.

Variety denomination: ‘AC 497 076’.

BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE NEW VARIETY

The invention relates to a new variety of kiwi plant (Actinidia chinensis Planch.) named ‘AC 497 076’, which originated in the course of a plant breeding program at Udine, Italy. Female parent ‘Jintao’ (not patented) was crossed with male parent ‘A134.41’ (not patented), and ‘AC 497 076’ was selected from the resulting seedlings. The new variety has been asexually reproduced by grafting and by in vitro propagation at Bernalda-Metaponto, Matera, Italy, and has been found to remain true-to-type over successive generations.

‘AC 497 076’ is distinguished from parent ‘Jintao’ and similar variety ‘Soreli’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 21,552) by the characteristics set forth in Table 1 below.

TABLE 1 Comparison of ‘AC 497 076’ to ‘Jintao’ and ‘Soreli’ ’AC 497 076’ ‘Jintao’ ‘Soreli’ Plant vigor Medium Medium Weak Density of hair on Very sparse Dense Medium young shoot Color of stem shoot Grey brown Red brown Purple brown on sunny side Shape of leaf apex Emarginate with Acuminate Acuminate cuspidate tip Leaf basal lobes Far apart Touching Slightly overlapping

DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPHS

FIG. 1 shows a branch, fruits and leaves of ‘AC 497 076’;

FIG. 2 shows a shoot and young leaves of ‘AC 497 076’;

FIG. 3 shows a mature leaf of ‘AC 497 076’; and,

FIG. 4 shows whole and sectioned fruit of ‘AC 497 076’.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

The plants depicted and described herein were planted in 2010 on their own roots at Bernalda-Metaponto, Matera, Italy. Photographs were taken in 2017, and observations were recorded from 2012 to 2019. This description relies primarily on the observations recorded in 2018 and 2019. Colors are described with reference to The Royal Horticultural Society Mini Colour Chart (2005). The characteristics described will vary somewhat depending upon cultural practices and climatic conditions, and will vary with location and season. Quantified measurements are expressed as an average of measurements taken from a number of individual plants of the new variety. The measurements of any individual plant or any group of plants of the new variety may vary from the stated average.

-   Plant:     -   -   Plant sex.—Female.         -   Plant form.—Climbing vine.         -   Self-fruit setting.—Absent.         -   Vigor.—Medium.         -   Height of mature plant.—Approximately 3 m from ground to top             of canopy.         -   Spread of mature plant.—Approximately 6 m². -   Stem:     -   -   Thickness.—Medium, 12 mm.         -   Color of shoot on sunny side.—Purple brown 166A.         -   Texture of bark.—Smooth.         -   Density of hairs.—Absent or sparse.         -   Size of lenticels.—Small, oblong, 1.0 mm×0.4 mm.         -   Color of lenticels.—Purple brown 166A.         -   Number of lenticels.—Few.         -   Prominence of bud support.—Weak.         -   Presence of bud cover.—Absent.         -   Leaf scar.—Moderately depressed.         -   Pith.—Lamellate. -   Young shoot:     -   -   Length.—Varies.         -   Diameter.—6 mm at 30 cm below shoot tip.         -   Color.—Yellow green 145A.         -   Anthocyanin coloration of growing tip on young shoot.—Absent             or very weak.         -   Pubescence on young shoot.—Very sparse.         -   Texture of pubescence.—Soft. -   Mature laterals:     -   -   Length.—Variable.         -   Diameter.—7 mm.         -   Color.—Purple brown 166A.         -   Texture.—Soft.         -   Lenticel size.—0.5 mm.         -   Lenticel shape.—Oblong.         -   Lenticel density.—6 per cm². -   Leaf:     -   -   Arrangement.—Alternate.         -   Shape.—Orbicular.         -   Length.—170 mm.         -   Width.—180 mm.         -   Length/width ratio.—Moderately compressed.         -   Margin.—Ciliated.         -   Density of serrations of margin.—High.         -   Depth of leaf scar.—Moderately depressed.         -   Shape of apex.—Emarginate with cuspidate tip.         -   Basal lobes.—Present.         -   Arrangement of basal lobes.—Far apart.         -   Blade shape in cross section.—Flat to concave upper surface.         -   Pubescence on upper side.—Absent or very sparse.         -   Pubescence on lower side.—Present, moderate.         -   Attitude in relation to shoot.—Upward and outward.         -   Color of upper surface.—Yellow green 145A.         -   Color of lower surface.—Yellow green 145C.         -   Anthocyanin coloration of upper side.—Medium.         -   Variegation.—Absent.         -   Venation.—Reticulate, upper surface pale yellow 161C, lower             surface yellow green 145C.         -   Leaf texture.—Tomentose and rugose.         -   Petiole length.—95 mm.         -   Petiole diameter.—3 mm.         -   Petiole color.—Dark pink red 51B.         -   Length of petiole relative to blade.—Large.         -   Presence of pubescence on petiole.—Absent. -   Flowers:     -   -   Time of beginning of flowering.—Medium, 7 to 8 days before             ‘Hayward’.         -   Duration of flowering.—4 to 8 days.         -   Bud shape.—Round.         -   Bud length.—2 mm.         -   Bud diameter.—4 mm.         -   Bud color.—Purple brown 166A.         -   Inflorescence type.—Dichasium.         -   Quantity of blossoms per inflorescence.—Medium, avg. 1.12 in             mother plant, up to 1.7 in grafted plants.         -   Length of inflorescence.—38 mm.         -   Width of inflorescence at widest point.—25 mm.         -   Peduncle length.—28 mm.         -   Length of lowest lateral.—16 mm.         -   Attitude of lateral in relation to peduncle.—Open.         -   Blossom diameter.—6 mm.         -   Blossom depth.—3 mm.         -   Flower bud: position of first spike.—Low.         -   Number of sepals.—5.         -   Sepal length.—4 mm.         -   Sepal width.—2.5 mm.         -   Sepal margin.—Entire.         -   Sepal color.—Upper surface — Yellow green 145C.         -   Sepal color.—Lower surface — Yellow green 145A.         -   Density of sepal hairs.—Absent or sparse.         -   Quantity of petals per flower.—6 to 7.         -   Arrangement of petals.—Overlapping.         -   Petal shape.—Obovate.         -   Petal apex.—Emarginate.         -   Petal margin.—Entire.         -   Petal shape in profile.—Convex.         -   Petal color on adaxial side.—White 155C.         -   Petal second color on adaxial side.—Red spot on one petal.         -   Petal color on abaxial side.—White 155C with red blush.         -   Pedicel length.—45 mm.         -   Pedicel diameter.—2 mm.         -   Pedicel color.—Yellow green 145A.         -   Pistil quantity per flower.—30.         -   Pistil length.—11 mm.         -   Pistil color.—White N999D.         -   Attitude of styles.—Semi-erect.         -   Stigma length.—1.3 mm.         -   Stigma color.—White N999D.         -   Style length.—9.5 mm.         -   Style color.—White N999D.         -   Ovary length.—4 mm.         -   Ovary diameter.—6 mm.         -   Ovary color.—White N999D.         -   Anther quantity per flower.—80 to 90.         -   Anther length.—3 mm.         -   Pollen color.—White 157B.         -   Anther color.—Orange yellow 14A.         -   Pollenizers.—‘Belen’ (not patented), ‘Zuva’ (not patented),             ‘Matua’ (not patented). -   Fruit:     -   -   Weight.—High, 109 g.         -   Length.—Medium, 76 mm.         -   Diameter.—Medium, 48 mm.         -   Length/width ratio.—Medium.         -   Shape.—Oblong to elliptic.         -   Shape in cross section at median.—Circular.         -   Shape at stylar end.—Strongly depressed.         -   Presence of calyx ring.—Present.         -   Shape of shoulder at stalk end.—Weakly sloping.         -   Length of stalk.—Medium, 30 mm.         -   Diameter of stalk.—3 mm.         -   Color of stalk.—Purple brown 183A.         -   Length of stalk relative to length of fruit.—Medium.         -   Conspicuousness of lenticels on skin.—Weak.         -   Hairiness of skin.—Considered hairless.         -   Texture of skin; pubescence.—Strong pubescence masking the             skin color.         -   Color of skin.—Purple brown 183A.         -   Thickness of skin.—Thick.         -   Adherence of skin to flesh.—Strong.         -   Color of outer pericarp.—Yellow 12A.         -   Color of locules.—Light yellow brown 160B.         -   Diameter of core relative to fruit.—Medium, 10 mm×20 mm.         -   General shape of core in cross section.—Elliptic.         -   Color of core.—Light yellow 4D.         -   Firmness of flesh.—1.5+/−0.5 kg/cm² (8 mm tip, eating ripe).         -   Sweetness.—High, 16.2+/−0.3° Brix (eating ripe).         -   Acidity.—Low.         -   Seeds.—Numerous, oblong, dark reddish brown 200A.         -   Time of vegetative bud burst.—Early, similar to ‘Tomua’             (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 11,065).         -   Time of maturity for harvest.—Early, September 15 to October             1 (Northern Hemisphere).         -   Tolerance to heat, cold, drought.—Tolerant in area tested             (USDA Hardiness Zone 9a/9b); Similar to ‘Jintao’.         -   Market use.—Fresh.         -   Keeping quality.—Good.         -   Shipping quality.—Good. 

We claim:
 1. A new and distinct kiwi plant substantially as described and illustrated herein. 